Scope of Research:➞ The scope of our research is centered upon the Water Quality Index. We are trying to find the water quality of the Sungei Ulu Pandan River, and in doing so be able to find out any form of pollution affecting the water. Rivers are a major part of recreational destinations, and ensuring the safety of the water would then lead to safer usage of the water. The eco-system can also be sustained with optimal levels of different substances found in the water. A major boundary in our research is the way of collecting our sample water. Safety should be ensured during the collection and in doing so, the sample water may have to be collected near the shore. Another boundary is that we are only able to identify the form of pollution. We will be unable to specifically identify the pollutant.

Methodology:- Procedures:1.Temperature➞ Using a temperature probe, submerged it into the water for about 30 seconds, with it submerged to a depth of 10cm.1a. Start to record the data using LabQuest. Leave the probe submerged while recording data for 10 seconds. Carry this step out twice. Record data after these two tests.2. pH Values➞ 2a. Rinse the tip of the pH sensor thoroughly with the river water.2b. Submerge the tip of the pH sensor into the water, at a depth of about 4cm.2c. Start to record the data using LabQuest. Keep the sensor submerged in the water for about 10 seconds.Carry out this step twice. Record data after these two tests.3. Turbidity ➞ 3a.Gently invert the sample water (river water) four times to mix in any particles that may have settled to
the bottom. Do not shake the sample, doing so would affect the turbidity.3b. Obtain an empty cuvette and rinse it with sample water. Proceed to fill it up with the sample water so that the bottom of
the meniscus is even with the top of the white line. 3d. Cover the cuvette with lid. Lightly wipe the outside of the cuvette with a tissue. If air bubbles are present, lightly tap the bottom of the cuvette on a hard surface to dislodge them.3e. Holding the cuvette by the lid, place it in the Turbidity Sensor. Make sure that the mark on the cuvette is aligned with the mark on the Turbidity Sensor. Close the lid.3f. Record the data using LabQuest. Record the data twice. 4-5. Total Solids ➞ *This test has to be conducted in a laboratory. Collect at least 1000ml of sample water (river water) so that you can have two 200ml trials. Prepare two 250ml beakers. Clean and place them in a drying oven at 100℃-105℃ for at least one hour to dry.4a. Using gloves or tongs, remove the beakers from the oven to allow them to cool. From then onwards, do not use your bare hands to handle the beakers, as the oils on our hands may affect the masses of the beakers. 4b. Label both beakers "A" and "B". Use an analytical balance to measure the mass of each beakers. Record the results, rounding them off to the nearest 0.001g (if yet to do so).4c. Transfer the river water into the beakers. Remove any large particles in the river water, such as twigs or insects . Proceed to swirl the samples, to gain uniformity of suspended particles.4d. Using a 100ml granulated cylinder, carefully measure 200ml of river water into each beaker. Using gloves, place the beakers into the oven allow the water to evaporate overnight, at a temperature of 100℃-105℃.5. Using gloves, remove the beakers from the oven and place them on a table to cool. Proceed to the next step as immediate as possible, to minimise the absorption of water that would affect the masses of the beakers.5a. Use an analytical balance to measure the mass of each beaker, with the solids now left behind. Record the results, rounding them off to the nearest 0.001g (of yet to do so).5b. Obtain the mass of the solids by subtracting the mass of each empty beaker and the mass of the beaker with the solids. If the mass of the solids is at least 0.025 g,
proceed to Step 5d. If the mass of the solids
is less than 0.025 g, proceed to Step 5c.5c. If the mass of the solids is less than 0.025g, add another 200ml of river water to each beaker. Repeat steps 4d to 5b.5d. Record the mass of the solids, rounding them off to the nearest 0.001g.➞ [x]Mass of solids in (mg)= (mass of solids) × 1000➞ [y]Total volume in (ℓ, litres)= [water in (mℓ)] ÷ 1000➞ Total solids= x ÷ y6. Dissolved Oxygen ➞ Prepare the Dissolved Oxygen Probe for use. Unscrew the membrane cap from the tip of the probe, and using a pipet, fill the membrane cap with 1ml Dissolved Electric Filling Solution. 6a. Carefully thread the membrane cap back onto the electrode. Proceed to place the probe into a beaker of water.6b. It is necessary to warm up the Dissolved Oxygen Probe for 5–10 minutes before taking
readings. With the probe still in the distilled water beaker, wait 5–10 minutes while the probe
warms up. The probe must stay connected at all times to keep it warmed up. 6c. Rinse the tip of the probe with the river water.6d. Place the probe into the river, submerged to a depth of 4-6cm. Lightly stir the probe in the water. It is important to keep stirring until you have collected your Dissolved Oxygen value.6e. Monitor the live Dissolved Oxygen readings. Wait for them to stabilise (stable to the nearest 0.1mg/L)6f. Record the data using LabQuest. Leave the probe tip submerged for the full 10 seconds, before stopping data collection. Do this step twice.6g. Record the 100% dissolved oxygen value using measured temperature and atmospheric pressure.6h. Calculate the percent saturation using this formula:(Dissolved oxygen ÷ 100% dissolved oxygen) × 1007. Biochemical Oxygen Demand ➞ *It is necessary to warm up the Dissolved Oxygen Probe for 5–10 minutes before taking
readings. With the probe still in the distilled water beaker, wait for 5–10 minutes while the probe
warms up. The probe must stay connected at all times to keep it warmed up. 7a. Prepare the Dissolved Oxygen Probe for use by:➞ Remove the blue protective cap if it is still on the tip of the probe.➞ Unscrew the membrane cap from the tip of the probe.➞ Using a pipet, fill the membrane cap with 1 mL of DO Electrode Filling Solution.➞ Carefully thread the membrane cap back onto the electrode.➞ Place the probe into a container of water.

7b. Submerge the probe tip in the Biochemical Oxygen Demand(BOD) bottle. Gently move
the probe in and up-and-down motion, while keeping the
tip in the water at all times.

7c. Monitor the dissolved oxygen concentration value on the
screen. Note: It is important to keep stirring until you
have finished collecting Dissolved Oxygen (DO) data.

7f. Tap Table to view the data. Record the averaged DO value
on the Data & Calculations sheet.8. Phosphates ➞ 8a. Start data collection.8b. Empty the water from the cuvette. Using the solution in Flask 1, rinse the cuvette twice
with ~1 ml amounts and then fill it 3/4 full. Seal the cuvette with a lid. Wipe the outside
with a tissue and place it in the Colorimeter. After closing the lid, wait for the value
displayed on the screen to stabilize and then tap Keep.8c. Enter 2 as the concentration in mg/L PO4. Select OK to store this data pair.8d. Discard the water in the cuvette. Using the solution in Flask 2, rise the cuvette twice with
~1 mL amounts and then fill it 3/4 full. Seal the cuvette with a lid. Wipe the outside of the
cuvette and place it in the Colorimeter. After closing the lid, wait for the value to stabilise.8e. Tap Keep. Enter 4 as the concentration in mg/L. Select OK.8f. Repeat Steps d and e for Flask 3 (6 mg/L PO4) and Flask 4 (8 mg/L PO4)8g. Stop data collection.

9. Nitrates ➞9a. Start data collection.9b. With the blank still in the Colorimeter, tap Keep.9c. Enter 0 as the concentration in mg/L NO3–-N. Select OK to store this data pair.9d. Discard the water in the cuvette. Using the 2.5 mg/L nitrate standard, rinse the cuvette
twice with approximately 1 mL amounts and then fill it 3/4 full. Seal the cuvette with a lid. Wipe the
outside of the cuvette and place it in the colorimeter. After closing the lid, wait for the
value displayed on the screen to stabilize.9e. Tap Keep when the displayed value stabilizes. Enter 2.5 as the concentration in
mg/L NO3–-N. Select OK.9f. When you are finished collecting data, stop data collection.9g. Dispose of the remaining solution in the flask as directed by your instructor. CAUTION: Any remaining solid particles in the flask are cadmium, a toxic metal. 10. Fecal Coliform ➞10a. Use a waterproof marker to label a Whirlpak bag with the site code, date, and time of
collection.10b. Collect one 200 ml Whirlpak of sample water.10c. Obtain eight 47 mm sterile petri dishes.10d.Label each petri dish with the site code, date, and volume of sample being filtered (0, 1, 10,
30 ml). For each site where water was collected, there will be two petri dishes for each
sample volume, as follows:

Two 10 ml water blanks (0 mL control)

Two 1 ml samples (diluted in a 10 mL sterile water blank)

Two 10 ml samples

Two 30 ml samples

10e. Using the ampoule breaker, open and pour 1 ampoule of mFC/Rosolic Acid Broth into each
of the petri dishes. Place the lids back on each of the petri dishes and discard the empty
ampoules. 10f. Remove the top of the filtration unit. Using sterilised forceps, carefully place a membrane
filter onto the filter holder and pour a small amount of sterile water onto the filter to help
seat it. 10g. Filter the samples in the order they are written in Step 10d, beginning with the 10 ml blank.
Pour your sample into the apparatus. Be careful to avoid pouring the sample on the inside
walls of the filtration apparatus. Suction the sample through the filter by squeezing the hand
pump a couple of times to create a vacuum. Make sure most of your sample flows through
the filter and does not remain inside the filtration apparatus. When all the water is through
the filter, stop pumping and break the vacuum.10h. Rinse the filtration unit with three separate 30 ml portions of sterile deionized water. 10i. Sterilise the forceps by dipping them into a bottle of ethanol (or other alcohol) and passing
them through a flame. Allow the forceps to cool briefly before touching anything. 10j. Carefully remove the filter with flame-sterilised forceps and place the filter gridside up on
the medium in the proper petri dish. If there are air pockets between the filter and medium,
carefully tap the filter down with the forceps. 10k. Place the lid on the petri dish. Keep each petri dish upright until you are ready to incubate all
of them. 10i. Repeat Steps 10f-10k for the remaining samples.10m. Stack the petri dishes upside down and incubate
them for 24 hours in a controlled 44.5°C incubator.
If no incubator is available, place the dishes in a
plastic bag and seal it shut with water-proof tape.
Place the bag, so that the dishes are upside down,
in a water bath set to 44.5°C for 24 hours.
Important: The petri dishes must be stacked
upside down before they are incubated. 10n. Make sure you sterilize the entire setup before
filtering water from another site. 10o. When the petri dishes have incubated for 24 hours, remove
them from the incubator and count the fecal coliform colonies
that appear on each filter. Each bluish spot should be counted
as one fecal coliform colony. Cream-, gray-colored, and
colonies of other colors are not fecal coliform colonies. Do not
include them in the count.10p. If the petri dish has colonies that are more numerous than 80, fewer than 20, or unevenly
distributed, there might be a problem with the sample. Petri dishes that have such issues should not be included in your count.10q. For each sample size (ml filtered), record the number of colonies counted on the Data and
Calculations sheet. If a single filter has more than 200 colonies, record that filter as Too
Numerous To Count (TNTC). 10r.After all petri dishes have been counted and recorded, use a checkmark to indicate which
sample volume is being used for the final calculation, based on the following rules:
• Most accurate counts are in the range of 20–80 colonies per filter. Use the average of all
filters falling in that range. Calculate the Colony Forming Units (CFU) per 100 ml using
the formula:[average colony counts ÷ml filtered] × 100 = CFU/100ml• If there are no filters with 20–80 colonies, but there are filters of more than 80 colonies
that are still clearly “countable,” use the "greater than 80" colonies sample. Calculate CFU/100 ml based on the same formula as above. With higher counts and less defined colonies,
competition can produce significant errors in coliform counts. • If all countable filters have fewer than 20 colonies, estimate the CFU/100 ml using all
filters. Add up the total number of counts and the total number of mL filtered (include
colony petri dishes and volumes). Use the formula below and report the results as an
estimate.[Total colony counts ÷ Total ml filtered] × 100 = CFU/100ml• If you have conflicting colony counts for different sample sizes, calculate the CFU/ 100
ml using the smaller sample size only. For example, if you count 37 colonies in a 10 ml sample and 41 colonies in a 30 ml sample, use only the 10 ml sample size.• Record the calculated CFU/100 ml on the Data & Calculations sheet. 11. Water Quality Index ➞11a. Obtain the "Q" Values chart for Temperature, pH Values, Turbidity, Total Solids, Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Phosphates, Nitrates, Fecal Coliform.11b. Determine the "Q" Values by comparing the values of the 9 water quality parameters (mentioned above) with their respective charts.11c. Record the "Q" Values (within the respective water quality parameters) on the Water Quality Index Table. 11d. Multiply the "Q" values with their respective Weighing Factors found in the Water Quality Index Table. Record these results in the Total column.11e. For all the water quality parameters, add up the values found in their respective Total columns. Compare the result with this scale:91-100: Excellent water quality71-90: Good water quality51-70: Medium or average water quality26-50:Fair water quality0-25:Poor water qualityData Analysis:From the data collected, we are able to determine the amount for the following factors:

(a) Temperature

(b) pH values

(c) Amount of turbidity

(d) Total solids

(e) Dissolved oxygen

(f) Biochemical oxygen demand

(g) Phosphates

(h) Nitrates

(i) Fecal coliform

(j) Water Quality Index

A brief map of the School of Science and Technology, Singapore and Sungei Ulu Pandan River (traced in a blue path).

We would have to take the water sample by standing at the canopied - overhead bridge (seen in the far background). We would be using a rope attached to a 1.5 litre bottle to collect the sample water.

Risk Assessment:1. List/identify the hazardous chemicals, activities, or devices that will be used.There would be an activity that would pose a moderate risk to us. Collection of the sample water has to be taken not to near the banks of the Sungei Ulu Pandan River, thus it may be risky to collect sample water from such a distance. There would also be pH 7 and pH 10 buffer solutions for the calibration of the pH sensor.

2. Identify and assess the risks involved.We may slip into the Sungei Ulu Pandan River if we are not mindful and cautious when collecting sample water. River currents may also wash us further from the banks of the river, hence getting out may not be easy and manageable. Concentrated alkalis can affect the skin and eyes especially. Wounds of serious alkaline burns are difficult to heal.3. Describe the safety precautions and procedures that will be used to reduce the risks.For collection of sample water, we would utilise a bridge (if there is). We will also be using a pole attached to a 1.5 litres bottle for collection of sample water. The pole increases our range and thus we would be able to collect water further from the banks. We may also rent life jackets, especially if there are no bridges available. During the handling of the buffer solutions, we would wear disposable rubber gloves, lab coats and safety goggles.4. Describe the disposal procedures that will be used (when applicable).5. List the source(s) of safety information.- Radford University, O. O. E. H. A. S. (2001, January 31).Corrosive chemicals. Retrieved from http://www.radford.edu/fpc/Safety/HazCom/chp4.htm- John, B. (2010, August 24). How to safely work with acids & bases. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_6830859_safely-work-acids-bases.htmlDesired Outcomes/Skill Acquisition:

1. Use of ICT skills

2. Application of the 21st century skills – 10 Cs

3. Applied Learning

4. Master the Scientific Method

5. Design and set up an experiment

Proposed Timeline:

Using the template provided, think through and discuss with your mentor theplanning and implementation issues of your project in creating a reasonabletimeline to guide the progress and completion of your project. Providesufficient time for the various phases of your research, e.g. literature review,experimentation, review, writing of research paper, presentation preparation.Take into consideration your school commitments.2012 July to SeptemberPreparation and submission of:(a) Group Project Proposal (GPP)(b) Justification of GPP(c) Video presentation of GPP(d) Insight & Reflection(e) Individual Contribution2012 OctoberApproval of GPP2012 November to DecemberPreparation for Experimental Research including the purchase of equipment2013 Jan Experimentation 2013 Feb Submission of Method and results2013 Mar Preparation of Group written reports 2013 AprilFeedback to students for improvements 2013 May Oral Presentation2013 May(a) Insight and Reflection(b) Individual Contribution